Canon EF 100-300mm f/4.5 56 USM

With a DxOMark score of 14.6 on a full frame EOS 5D Mk II, dropping to 11 on a EOS 7D, the EF100-300mm f/4.5-5.6 USM has homogenous sharpness across the focal range, good resolution in the centre and low chromatic aberration. On the downside, the lens has some vignetting at maximum aperture and low resolution in the corners, however on an APS-C body those particular effects are minimized. While interesting and still listed as current on the Canon site, this lens is no longer available new, but can be found secondhand.

Further readings for the Canon EF 100-300mm f/4.5 56 USM

To provide photographers with a broader perspective about mobiles, lenses and cameras, here are links to articles, reviews, and analyses of photographic equipment produced by DxOMark, renown websites, magazines or blogs.

With the vagaries of photographing wildlife, the flexibility of a telephoto zoom would appear to be an attractive solution. However, image quality is often a compromise at the maximum aperture and longest focal length, typically the most crucial settings. We’ve pulled some lens data from our database and put together a round up of popular zoom lenses over the years (and made some comparisons with high performance primes). Read on to find out which models have the best image quality.